The Greatest Movies Never Made - Johnny Eck
The sure things that fizzled out before someone called 'action!'
It was in February 2002 that news emerged that one of the biggest young stars of the day was set to essay one of America’s most celebrated freaks…
He may wince when recalling his hammy turns as identical twins in The Man In The Iron Mask but Leonardo DiCpario isn’t a man to let past failure put him off. So it is that he’ll be attempting the same trick in a Johnny Eck biopic.
One of the stars of Tod Browning’s notorious Freaks (1932), Eck - real name: Johnny Eckhardt) was born without the lower half of his body. Despite the handicap, Eck, who learned to walk on his hands, forged a career on the freak show circuit with the help of his healthy twin, Robert (above).
While no one has stepped forward to direct this strange but compelling tale, the
film’s concerns with outsiders and acceptance - together with the fact it’s written
by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) -
it’s easy to imagine Tim Burton at the helm.
As for the casting of DiCaprio, while his looks may make him an unlikely choice to play a carnival performer, it’s worth bearing in mind that his best work came playing a backward teen in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. A further brush with ‘otherness’ might be just what he needs to get him back on track.
Over 20 years on, Johnny Eck is but one of the many superb scripts still gathering dust while far less savoury work clutters up the multiplexes.